John Redcorn
John Redcorn III (born January 7, 1961) is a recurring character in King of the Hill. He was originally voiced by Victor Aaron until his death and by Jonathan Joss thereafter. Background John Redcorn, "Licensed New Age Healer", is Nancy Gribble's longtime Native American masseur, her former lover of fourteen years and the biological father of Joseph Gribble. Standing 6'4", John Redcorn drives a tan Jeep Wrangler, and both lives in and works in a travel trailer. Initially, he rented a homesite in a trailer park. John Redcorn is a true Native American, is familiar with his tribe, and is disgruntled that he lost his land. He has no strong relationship but had children from previous relationships. The main relationship focused is being the target of an affair of The Gribble Family which resulted in the birth of his son. John was able to see his son (and Nancy) during the first four seasons, posing as a therapist for Nancy's headaches caused by extermination chemicals. He felt he was too old for the secret relationship, almost got back together with Nancy, but ultimately did not want to hurt his new friend Dale Gribble because Dale helped John recover some land. After season 4, John drifted apart from Joseph, and made awkward attempts to give Joseph advice as well as Native American artifacts. This confused Joseph, who did not regard himself as Native American. As a result, Joseph found dangerous friends which John insisted that Joseph go on a Vision Quest with Dale. Dale was the only one to successfully have a Vision Quest, and thought that he himself was Native American. Dale did not understand the Vision Quests, misled Joseph into shooting zoo animals. John finally put a stop to everything and guided Joseph for a moment. John also was able to save Bobby from a similar situation from a group of people that drink dog blood. Whenever John Redcorn speaks of his native land or anything that deals with his tribe, a mysterious breeze will always pass through, gently ruffling his hair and making it flow majestically, satirizing the idea of the noble Native speaking of his land with wind blowing through his hair. He is notably always referred to by his full name, and never simply as John, except by children who refer to him as Mr. Redcorn. He was however on one occasion referred to as John R. Before his career as a New Age Healer, he was a security guard at concerts as portrayed in Vision Quest. He was the lead singer of the band Big Mountain Fudge Cake, for which Lucky played guitar followed by Elvin Mackelston also on guitar. Dale was briefly the manager. They could never find any place to perform, not even on John's land. He ended up being scammed by false Native Americans giving him a loan and not telling John about the casinos being illegal. They threatened they would repossess his land and turn it into a toxic waste dump. Following the breakup of the band, Redcorn began singing toned-down children's versions of his songs at the Strickland company barbecue and was instantly popular. He was able to pay off his loan by turning his land into a carnival. When driving he is often heard playing Pat Benatar, including the hits "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and "Heartbreaker." On some occasions he has alternated his music with other classic hard rock bands, such as Deep Purple or Foreigner. Relationship with Nancy In the first four seasons, before Nancy rekindled her love affair with her husband, she and John Redcorn were seen almost constantly in each other's company. The implication is that their relationship was more substantial than a purely sexual dalliance. The Souphanousinphones figured it out very soon after moving to Arlen. In Peggy's Headache, Peggy was one of the last to realize it; Hank tells her 12 years into the affair, having assumed she knew but, like everyone else, never mentioned it. Both Nancy's husband Dale and son Joseph are completely unaware of this, although this fact is obvious to everyone else in the neighborhood, even to Bobby (Hank and Peggy's son) due to Joseph's close resemblance to John Redcorn. Also, in the episode, "The Son That Got Away", Nancy asks Dale, "Do you want a beer, honey?" to which both Dale and John Redcorn answer "yes". In reply, Dale says, "How did he know I wanted a beer?" Despite Dale's dedication to various conspiracy theories, Dale is completely unaware of Joseph's true parentage due to his belief that Redcorn is homosexual, although he once suspected that Joseph's father was an alien. No matter how obvious the affair between John Redcorn and Nancy was, Dale never deduced it; indeed, once, after having caught the two in bed, he merely apologizes for interrupting their "migraine treatment" and rushes out. In "Dog Dale Afternoon", Dale even caught Redcorn sneaking in through the window. At first, it appears that Dale has finally figured it out, but he really thought Redcorn was doing something with his (Dale's) new lawnmower. "Get away from my mower and start massaging my wife." John Redcorn then mentions to Nancy that Dale is "taking some of the fun out of this." In "Hank Gets Dusted", John Redcorn, in trying to get filmed on a reality show, actually directly says to the camera that "I slept with Hank's best friend's wife for 13 years," with Dale standing inches away; Dale assumes that John Redcorn was referring to Bill. It is implied throughout the series that both he and Joseph are willfully ignorant of the affair, due to Dale's absolute devotion to his wife and the deep bond which he and Joseph share. A recurring gag early on in the show's run was that whenever Dale would make a comment about him being Joseph's father or Dale's relationship with Nancy, John Redcorn would show up. John Redcorn still cares about Nancy, but will never tell Dale because he won't hurt his new friend who helped him reclaim land from the government. During one of his less inspiring moments, John alluded to Hank that he met Nancy before Dale did. Dale climbed out John's window instead of the door. John Redcorn lamented to Hank "I can't believe Nancy left me..." Dale who is still acting eccentric "for THAT." Hank corrected him by saying, "She didn't leave you for that, John Redcorn. She married THAT two years before she met you." In the Season 5 Episode "Spin the Choice," John Redcorn accepts the U.S. government's offer of 12 acres of unincorporated land, not all of which is adjacent due to a highway running through the land, to settle a lawsuit in which he sought to reclaim the 130,000 acres of land taken by the United States from the Anasazi tribe. Due to his belief that the government had cheated John Redcorn’s people, Dale proved instrumental in helping John Redcorn file his lawsuit, using the Freedom of Information Act and encouraging John Redcorn when others turned against him. Feeling guilty, John Redcorn started to reveal to Dale the details of his affair with Nancy and stated: "Fourteen years ago, I was refilling my jeep when I first met..." implying that he and Nancy first met at a gas station. He was not able to finish the admission, but in the end, John Redcorn willed the land to Dale, as a token of their friendship and as a way to pass something down to Joseph, to whom John Redcorn wishes he could tell the truth. When (in the same episode), he was given the chance to renew his affair with Nancy, he refused out of a sense of loyalty and gratitude to Dale, concluding that Nancy's husband was a genuinely good (if naive) man and that he could not betray someone who had worked so selflessly to help him. Dale also not only has no idea of the affair, but believes John Redcorn to be a "true friend". In "Sug Night", Dale finds out that Hank had a "sex dream" about Nancy from John Redcorn, saying, "John Redcorn is a true friend." John Redcorn is furious and screams at Hank and Dale attempts to attack Hank. In a recent episode, John Redcorn finally attempted to get back together with Nancy. She was partially receptive to his advances, but later decided to stay with her husband. In the episode "My Own Private Rodeo", it is revealed that Dale believes John Redcorn is gay (this may be a reason he never suspected Nancy and John Redcorn having an affair). Redcorn is frustrated by the fact that Dale is raising Joseph and despite his resemblance to John and his physical/athletic prowess, Joseph is more like Dale. Dale was the one who spent the most time raising and watching Joseph. Joseph talks like an American teenager and believes a lot of Dale's crackpot theories. Joseph seems to have no interest in his own biological Native American roots, acting like a normal spazzy American white teenager. He seems uncomfortable and creeped out by John Redcorn. Since Dale is the one who has really raised him and spent the most time with him, Joseph is socially awkward and is a buffoon a lot of the time. Most people state repeatedly: "Joseph is DALE'S son," much to John Redcorn heartbreak. Other Children In the episode "Untitled Blake McCormick Project", John Redcorn finds out he had a daughter, named Kate, by a woman named Charlene (who had a son three years after the affair with John Redcorn, the father of her son is not talked about), during the same period that he was having an affair with Nancy Gribble. This woman had fallen for Bill and had moved her family in with him; likewise, Kate and Joseph fell for each other which disturbed all the characters aware of the children's shared parentage. At the end of the episode Charlene and her two kids leave Bill and move in with John Redcorn, but they were never mentioned again after that one episode. Appearances * Season 1 ** Pilot (does not speak) ** Order of the Straight Arrow ** Luanne's Saga ** King of the Ant Hill (cameo) ** Plastic White Female (cameo) * Season 2 ** The Arrowhead ** Jumpin' Crack Bass (It's a Gas, Gas, Gas) ** The Son That Got Away ** The Company Man ** Hank's Dirty Laundry ** The Final Shinsult (indirectly mentioned) ** Leanne's Saga * Season 3 ** Death of a Propane Salesman ** Peggy's Headache ** Next of Shin ** Good Hill Hunting ** The Wedding of Bobby Hill (cameo) ** Sleight of Hank ** Hank's Cowboy Movie ** Dog Dale Afternoon ** Revenge of the Lutefisk ** As Old as the Hills * Season 4 ** Happy Hank's Giving ** To Kill a Ladybird ** Rodeo Days (cameo) ** Nancy Boys * Season 5 ** Spin the Choice * Season 6 ** Of Mice and Little Green Men ** Sug Night ** Returning Japanese * Season 7 ** Vision Quest ** The Witches of East Arlen * Season 8 ** Patch Boomhauer ** Rich Hank, Poor Hank ** My Hair Lady ** Hank's Back * Season 9 ** Ms. Wakefield (episode) ** Care-Takin' Care of Business ** Redcorn Gambles With His Future * Season 10 ** Harlottown ** A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Clown ** You Gotta Believe (In Moderation) * Season 11 ** Hank Gets Dusted ** Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow ** Lucky's Wedding Suit * Season 12 ** Death Picks Cotton ** Untitled Blake McCormick Project ** Strangeness on a Train * Season 13 ** Born Again on the Fourth of July ** Manger Baby Einstein (final appearance) ** To Sirloin With Love (mentioned) Gallery is a gallery. Trivia * Redcorn drives a tan 1985 Jeep CJ-7. * As hinted throughout numerous episodes, Redcorn is a fan of traditional hard rock and heavy metal, as songs by The Edgar Winter Group, Foriegner, Foghat, Journey, Deep Purple, and other bands are often heard playing on his Jeep's radio. * Whenever Redcorn would say something about nature, his hair would flow in the wind to a Native-American esque song. * The reason for the voice actor changing is due to Victor Aaron's death in 1997. Citations Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Recurring Characters Category:Celebrities Category:Lovers Category:Allies Category:Hanks Buddies Category:Main Characters Category:Season 1 Category:Season 2 Category:Season 3 Category:Season 4 Category:Season 5 Category:Season 6 Category:Season 7 Category:Season 8 Category:Season 9 Category:Season 10 Category:Season 11 Category:Season 12 Category:Season 13 Category:Characters with Black Hair